After a years-long wait, Christina Aguilera has returned with new music, dropping her song “Accelerate” featuring Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz on Thursday, May 3. The track is the first from her upcoming album Liberation, due out June 15.
The sultry R&B song was accompanied by a racy music video, which featured Aguilera in a series of scenes, most of which were close-ups of her face.
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Throughout the Zoey Grossman-directed clip, Aguilera is nearly makeup-free, her fresh-faced look a departure from the image she has built throughout her career.
One set saw the mom of two covered in a goo-like substance, with the star bathed in a pink glow as she slathered the liquid (maple syrup? shampoo? honey?) all over her body, including her chest.
Another set was simply a close-up of Aguilera’s lips covered in silver glitter.
In videos released on social media, Aguilera told fans that she knew they had been waiting a long time for new music.
“I love you. I know you’ve been waiting,” the singer said in a video shared Wednesday. “It needed to be perfect for you. For me. I’m ready. It’s time. I’m finally feeling liberated.”
“I feel in life when you get to a place where you feel so comfortable and so routine, then you know you need to stop and start from scratch,” she said in another.
Aguilera discussed her upcoming album in a new interview with Billboard, explaining that she had been putting herself “on the back burner.”
Liberation will be Aguilera’s first new album in six years and will have R&B and hip-hop influences, according to the star.
“At the end of the day, I am a soul singer,” Aguilera said. “When you strip back the words ‘pop star’ and the many things that I’ve done, singing soulfully is where my core, my root and my heart really is. And as you can see, it’s what I’m inspired by.”
Along with Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz, Demi Lovato is also featured on a track, and Kanye West produced two of the album’s songs including Aguilera’s favorite, “Maria.”
Aguilera is preparing to head out on tour to support the album, something she admits is “frightening.”
“Touring is so frightening to me because I am a mom first,” she said, adding, “It needs to happen. I’m looking forward to getting back out and actually showing my kids what Mommy really does!”
Photo Credit: YouTube / Christina Aguilera
